Hi guys,
My name is Jeremy and I'm pretty new to competition BBQ and the like. Just got my first WSM smoker last October. The past 2 years my dad has ran a Praise concert bringing in several local Christian artists and 1 head-liner. We were talking about raising money for Simpson Park, where it's held.

My idea was to have a BBQ competition and let the participants vend their food and split some of the money with the park. There would also be a People Choice champion possibly too, among the vendors. I'm looking for help and information about how to hold and run a comp, how to advertise, and how to recruit competitors. It's open competition to anyone who wants to enter. My goal is to do this every year at the Romeo Peach Festival Labor Day weekend.

Any information or support would be greatly appreciated.
Please email me at welovedante@comcast.net if interested or can offer any help.

This gentleman also sent a message to our Association's website asking the same question. The festival he speaks of is real and I'm sure he is looking for some real help. We referred him to our events committee and he is talking to them.

Not everyone is a huckster and out looking to make a buck off of this forum.

Thanks Bruce. I'm just information hunting about trying to start a competition or a BBQ fund raiser using some vendors. I think using vendors might be easier, but thinking about doing a rib cook-off to get my feet wet. I have to talk to the Romeo Peach Festival committee to see if anything like that is even possible. I wanna help my dad raise money for Simpson Park in Romeo Michigan, which is a Christian campground site who needs some financial support. My dad has put on some praise and worship concerts there in the past few years, so I said that I wanted to help him raise money doing BBQ. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all for looking.

Have you checked with the health nazis on this deal? They can often be a deal killer on these type of grandiose schemes. For example in Foat Wuth..each of the vendors would need to be working of a licensed commercial commisary and the roach coaches be sanitary etc. There is some ways to work around it in conjunction with temporary permits near major holidays etc..but just no telling what you are facing on the deal. Making it hard to say. You may have some built in liberties due to the church sponsorship especially if yall have a commercial type kitchen. I you want a DIY bbq cookoff..its real smart thinking to do ribs only. Now chili cookoffs are no brainer. Much easier to get off the ground. All you need is a place. Now this aint the yankme stuff with kidney beans and noodleos in it..lol. But it could got that way I guess. Kindly keeps us posted.